“See here. Have you been reading dime novels?”
“No, indeed. But I would like to be a Secret Service man more than anything else I know of.”
“I don’t believe you’d have much chance. You know the government wants only experienced, trustworthy operatives for the Secret Service. And besides, you’re too young. When you grow up, you might work into something of that sort.”
Willie’s hopes fell with a crash. There was the same old difficulty again. He was too small. He could hardly keep the tears back, as he replied, “But why should a fellow’s size make any difference?”
“Who said it did?” replied the Secret Service man. “I said you were too young, not too small. Now, after you get into high school and finish your course there, you might have a show to become an office boy.”
“Get into high school!” cried Willie. “Why, I was graduated from high school last June. You think I’m just a kid because I’m so—so little.”
“The deuce you say! A high school graduate. Well, you don’t look it.”
“Yes,” said Willie, seeing that he must strike now, while the iron was hot. “And I was graduated with honors. I’ve had pretty good experience with wireless and I can send and receive almost as fast as a professional. You know about our work here in finding the secret wireless. Before we helped in that spy hunt, we ran down some German dynamiters up in Pennsylvania, we fellows of the Wireless Patrol, and I had a hand in that. You see, I’ve had some experience already, and I’m sure I can learn fast. Isn’t there any job I could get with the Secret Service?”
“They might take you on as an office boy,” suggested Sheridan.
Office boy! There it was again. The same difficulty Willie had been bumping into ever since his graduation. Everybody thought he was fit only to be an office boy. His face grew very dark.